O, Church of Christ Rejoice

Come People of the Risen King by Kristen and Keith Getty and Stuart Townend:

Performed by Stuart Townend.

Performed by Kristen and Keith Getty

Come, people of the Risen King,
Who delight to bring Him praise;
Come all and tune your hearts to sing
To the Morning Star of grace.
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him,
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in.

REFRAIN
Rejoice, Rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice; O Church of Christ, rejoice!

Come, those whose joy is morning sun,
And those weeping through the night;
Come, those who tell of battles won,
And those struggling in the fight.
For His perfect love will never change,
And His mercies never cease,
But follow us through all our days
With the certain hope of peace.

Come, young and old from every land –
Men and women of the faith;
Come, those with full or empty hands –
Find the riches of His grace.
Over all the world, His people sing –
Shore to shore we hear them call
The Truth that cries through every age:
“Our God is all in all”!

Come, people of the Risen King,
Who delight to bring Him praise;
Come all and tune your hearts to sing
To the Morning Star of grace.
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him,
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in.

REFRAIN
Rejoice, Rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice; O Church of Christ, rejoice!

Come, those whose joy is morning sun,
And those weeping through the night;
Come, those who tell of battles won,
And those struggling in the fight.
For His perfect love will never change,
And His mercies never cease,
But follow us through all our days
With the certain hope of peace.

Come, young and old from every land –
Men and women of the faith;
Come, those with full or empty hands –
Find the riches of His grace.
Over all the world, His people sing –
Shore to shore we hear them call
The Truth that cries through every age:
“Our God is all in all”!

Robin Mark – Lion of Judah

Last night we were blessed to attend a concert with Ireland’s Robin Mark.  He’s a regular visitor to the Pentecostal Campground located just 2km east of our town.  Although he didn’t do this song in the concert, we did this one in our worship set this morning.

The annotation with this video is interesting:

This is a worship video we compiled for RiverCrestChurch.org. The graphics are actual scans of medieval handwritten pages with the lyrics of the song superimposed on the pages for use in worship. The amazing song was written by and performed by Robin Mark in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Revival In Belfast captures the passionate worship of Robin Mark and the Christian Fellowship Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Known for their strong cross community emphasis, it is a place where believers from all walks of faith are welcome and where grace and mercy abound in the midst of the troubles of Northern Ireland. The blend of uilleann pipes, penny-whistle and a multi-national worship band create a powerful backdrop of the intensely honest songs of Robin Mark that have become well known throughout Europe. Featuring “All For Jesus,” “Lion Of Judah,” and “Days of Elijah,” Revival In Belfast delivers unique and singable songs that are destined to revive your heart as you celebrate the Lord of All. 

  Some of the imagery may seem a bit different, but it’s based on end times images from the book of Revelation.

Jesus, Be The Centre

This is another modern hymn/chorus of British origin, relatively unknown in the United States.  (Hence the spelling, “centre” instead of “center.”)  There are actually a variety of videos on this available. Play it through a couple of times.  The composer is Michael Frye.

Jesus, be the centre
Be my source, be my light
Jesus

Jesus, be the centre
Be my hope, be my song
Jesus

Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus

Jesus, be my vision
Be my path, be my guide
Jesus

Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus

Jesus, be the centre
Be my source, be my light
Jesus

Be my source, be my light
Jesus

Here in the Love of Christ I Stand

When I looked today at the list of songs in the right hand margin, it was clear one was missing, In Christ Alone by Stuart Townend & Keith Getty.   This is the version by Adam Young aka Owl City which omits the second verse, which is included below. I wanted to include this version because of the impact it makes when a singer in the pop music industry makes a clear declaration of faith.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost it’s grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

As I was getting ready to publish this, I discovered that this isn’t the only time Adam has covered a worship song, and this one, as far as this blog is concerned, is definitely a keeper.  How Deep The Father’s Love For Us, also by UK’s Stuart Townend.  A few of you, especially in Canada and the UK where this is a CCLI Top 25 title have heard this song done perhaps more ‘churchy,’ or with the verses divided differently but trust me, many are hearing these powerful lyrics for the first time.

How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Powerful Worship Song: Speak, O Lord

Do you appreciate the worship songs posted here, or do you wish that every day was a text devotional or Bible study?  We’ve somewhat evolved a style here with something different in terms of mix or balance, and I think some days a great worship song can say as much or more than a great devotional post.

I saw this online at Tim Challies blog a few days ago, he had the making of the song with Kristyn Getty, Keith Getty and Stuart Townend.  I thought it would be great to share all three verses of the song.

Allow God to speak to you as you listen.

Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your Holy Word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your glory.

Teach us, Lord, full obedience,
Holy reverence, true humility;
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity.
Cause our faith to rise; cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority.
Words of pow’r that can never fail—
Let their truth prevail over unbelief.

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us—
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises,
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory.

Stuart Townend — There is a Hope

This is another song from the CD/DVD by Stuart Townend, There is a Hope. I have an extensive review running at Thinking Out Loud, which you can read here...but I also wanted to link back here for a video, since T.O.L. has a distinctive no-embedding policy in deference to people still on dial-up internet access.

For those of you arriving from T.O.L., welcome to Christianity 201.   There are a number of worship songs scattered throughout this blog which I hope you’ll take the time to find.

This is the song which opens the Stuart Townend album and the video.   In the U.K, Christian music compositions are known by their first line, so this is You’re The Word of God the Father.   In the U.S., pieces go by an actual title, so this is, Across the Lands.   Regular C-201 readers can also find the column about Stuart posted as a comment to this post.